Century Textiles appoints Mudra for retail brand initiative

BK Birla Group-company Century Textiles & Industries, which specializes in the manufacture and export of cotton textiles and yarn, has appointed Mudra Communications to handle the advertising for its fledgling retail brand initiative, Cottons by Century. The agency won the account late last month in the wake of a credentials presentation. This website has not been able to ascertain whether a formal pitch was called, and if so, who participated. "We basically picked up a lead, made a presentation and got the account," explains Ashish Mishra, deputy general manager, Mudra Communications.

Cottons by Century is essentially an effort on the part of Century Textiles to get into the growing domestic apparel business. The brand was test marketed in Mumbai last year, and is currently in the process of being rolled out nationally (through a franchise of exclusive stores), with presence in metros such as Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad. Currently, Cottons by Century primarily retails branded cotton fabric, with readymade apparel accounting for merely a fifth of the shelf space. "Cottons by Century is essentially into menswear, and sells cotton shirts and kurtas, as of now," says Mishra. "Today, fabric constitutes the bulk of Century's business, but with consumer habits changing, the company would be getting more and more into branded apparel."

Speaking about the assignment, Mishra says, "Century Textiles is a specialist when it comes to cotton, and in terms of quality, their product has few rivals, with many international brands sourcing textiles and yarn from them. However, this is the first time that Century is getting into the domestic retail market, so this is a big initiative the company. For Mudra, the challenge lies in building another homegrown brand from scratch and making it a success." He adds that the agency is presently working on a national-level campaign for the brand. The size of the advertising budget is not available. Mudra, apparently, is working on the account on a retainer basis. © 2003 agencyfaqs!